PHOENIX — A former Phoenix police officer was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison and 10 years of probation for sexually abusing two women while he was on duty in 2022.
Michael Feliciano Martinez, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse in February.
Martinez has been in custody since that hearing. He appeared at sentencing in a black-and-white striped jail uniform and shackles.
The judge in the case, called the crimes “particularly egregious” before announcing the sentence.
Martinez worked for the Phoenix Police Department from 2019 to 2022.
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Both sex abuse charges involve women Martinez encountered while working in the Cactus Park precinct in March 2022.
“He abused his power,” Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Will Heydenreich said. He said Martinez used his uniform as a shield or cover to get away from his crimes.
In court, Martinez apologized and asked for forgiveness.
According to police reports, one woman reported that Martinez stopped her at a hotel and took pills out of her pocket on March 31, 2022. She told investigators that Martinez touched her genital area under the guise of an official police search. He was placed on desk duty during that investigation.
Another woman said she was sexually abused when Martinez searched her and her belongings in a laundromat parking lot on March 23 or 24, 2022. However, she did not report the crime to Phoenix Police until after she saw Martinez on the news for a prostitution arrest later that year.
Heydenreich said there are concerns that there are more victims who never reported Martinez to authorities.
“I am truly sorry,” Martinez said in court. “I need help, and I am not making any excuses.”
Relatives pleaded for a lighter sentence, saying Martinez experienced childhood trauma. His attorney expressed concern for placing Martinez on the sex offender registry, and she said he could be targeted as a former police officer.
Martinez resigned from the Phoenix Police Department in October 2022 after being arrested for solicitation of a prostitute. Authorities made the connection while investigating the murder of the prostitute. Jennifer Beede, 39, was found dead inside a suitcase abandoned in a desert area. Two other people were charged with her murder.
